Sangha’s Human Trafficking Advocacy Initiative 2026
Braiding Devotion Into Action
a note from Kandice
In late 2025, I was invited into a circle of women across the globe who are committed to offering steady, tangible support to those impacted by trafficking in the red-light districts of Kolkata. I said yes immediately. It felt like one of those rare invitations where purpose, heart, and timing align.
As I stepped into that circle it became clear to me that the spaces we build at Sangha can hold more than just personal growth.
They can hold compassion. They can hold connection. They can hold a quiet, powerful kind of action.
So I created the Human Trafficking Advocacy Initiative (HTAI) within Sangha. As something more than a fundraiser or campaign. As a way for our practice to live outside of ourselves. A way for what we receive here to ripple outward and matter in someone else’s life.
India has given me so much.
The teachers who shaped me.
The lineage that informs everything I teach.
The devotion that sits underneath it all.
And every time you study with me, whether in class, in a training, or in a single workshop, you are receiving something born from those roots. HTAI is one way we offer gratitude back to the source.
This isn’t just meaningful for me.
It is meaningful for you too.
Because when you are part of Sangha, you are part of a community that believes in tending to ourselves and easing the suffering of others. You are part of something that moves inward and outward at the same time. This page shares how we’re doing that together.
Why Kolkata?
Through HTAI, Sangha’s focus this year is on supporting work happening in the red-light districts of Kolkata. There, trusted on-the-ground partners provide day-to-day care for women and children directly impacted by trafficking and extreme vulnerability. Some children are dropped off because families cannot care for them. Some have mothers who are forced into sex work and need safe, reliable places for their children while they work. All of them deserve protection, stability, and a future.
Funds raised through HTAI support:
Safe, stable housing
Education and tutoring
Advocacy and protection
Recovery and long-term support
The goal for Sangha is to contribute enough to make a meaningful and ongoing difference in these areas, joining many other communities around the world who are also part of HTAI.
How Sangha is participating
Sangha is weaving this commitment through the entire year — not just through one event, but through many small, intentional touchpoints that invite giving and receiving to happen side by side.
This includes:
Handcrafted gemstone pieces
Bracelets, earrings, and keychains handmade and donated by a member of the Sangha community. Available by suggested donation, with every dollar directly supporting HTAI.Donation-based practices
200-hour yoga teacher trainees will offer donation-based classes this spring, with all proceeds going to HTAI.Seasonal opportunities
As the year unfolds, certain events and gatherings will include an element of giving, allowing participants to nourish themselves while also contributing to the wellbeing of others.
This is how Sangha lives its practice: tending to ourselves while easing someone else’s burden.
What your participation supports
When you take part in these HTAI-connected offerings, you are:
Receiving something meaningful — whether a class, a training, a retreat, or a handcrafted piece
Supporting safe housing, education, advocacy, and recovery in Kolkata
Joining a larger network of communities choosing coordinated, long-term support
It is one way devotion can move inward and outward at the same time.
Staying involved
As the year continues, this initiative will be highlighted in studio announcements, social media, and seasonal events.
If you’d like to:
Ask questions about HTAI
Offer creative fundraising ideas
Sponsor a class, item, or event for the initiative
You are always welcome to reach out directly.
I hold this work with deep respect and gratitude for the lineage that shaped me, for the community supporting it, and for everyone who chooses to walk with me in this meaningful work.